Follow-Up: Jury Begins Deliberations After Closing Arguments in Former Detective's Trial for Killing Pregnant Woman
BOSTON, Mass. — Prosecutors and defense lawyers delivered closing arguments on November 6 in the federal trial of former Stoughton detective Matthew Farwell, accused of killing pregnant Sandra Birchmore, and the jury then began deliberations, recessing for the weekend after about three hours.
Prosecutors allege that on the night of February 1, 2021, Farwell strangled Birchmore in her apartment in Canton, Norfolk County, and staged it as a suicide to conceal a relationship that began when she was 15. Farwell admits the affair but denies killing her.
Over a trial of about four weeks, the jury heard testimony from about 50 witnesses. The central dispute is the cause of death: prosecution experts say marks from strangulation point to homicide, while defense experts say she died by hanging. A paternity test showed that another man fathered the fetus.
Farwell is charged with killing a witness and killing an unborn child, and faces a federal life sentence if convicted. He chose not to testify.
Related:
Defense Case in Farwell Murder Trial: Expert Cites Birchmore Suicide Risk
Source: Associated Press
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 波士顿 John Joseph Moakley 联邦法院（Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 4.0）
- 2026-10-06Jury Selection Begins Oct. 6 in Boston Federal Trial of Ex-Stoughton Officer Matthew Farwell
- 2026-10-31Follow-Up: Defense Case Under Way in Farwell Murder Trial: Expert Calls Birchmore a High Suicide Risk as Prosecutors Challenge Her Knowledge of the Final Day
- 2026-11-06Follow-Up: Jury Begins Deliberations After Closing Arguments in Former Detective's Trial for Killing Pregnant WomanThis story
